1. Field Of The Invention
The invention pertains to door locks, or latches primarily for light weight doors and especially for screen doors of the sliding type that slide toward a jamb, or into a pocket in a side jamb.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
Heretofore, the available devices have been quite simple in their adaptation to this general type of lock application and have included a basic hook type of fastening which was manually engageable with a cooperating eye member.
Relatively sliding window members have been secured by means of a fixed lug on one member and a rotatable wedging member on the other window member which were adapted to be interengaged in the closed position of the windows to fix them against relative movement.
Similar devices have been provided to lock the companion doors of a pair of sliding doors where such doors operate in parallel planes.
Sliding door locks have included pivoted latches to engage a cooperating slot, or an associated bracket.
Rotary latches have been provided in combination with door handles as an assembly including a latch hook.
Other latch hook arrangements have included pivoted latch members projecting through the edge of a door to engage a slot, or bracket, in an opposing part to lock a door, with an operating handle accessible from a side face of the door to release the latch from the slot.
Another type of sliding door latching arrangement for doors operating in trackways included a vertically movable latch plate in one door edge adapted to engage and interlock with a fixed keeper on an adjoining door, or on a framing member and having an outside handle to lift the latch plate.
The following patents disclose latching, or locking mechanisms like those described, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,645,573; 3,785,684; 4,160,560; 4,068,874; 3,065,985; 3,213,652. None of these prior patents, however, suggest any such latching arrangement as the present latch mechanism which has for its primary objective to provide a rotary latch element of molded plastic adapted to be mounted universally for right, or left, installations and disposed to cam a door against a mounting member, and provided with multiple flats on the rotary member to provide a plurality of locking positions.